Researchers have found that Viagra and its generic equivalent are safe for use in men with heart conditions who have been cleared by their doctors for sexual activity. However, men taking nitrate-based drugs to relieve the pain of angina should not take Viagra or any of the other oral ED medications.
In the first few years after Viagra’s 1998 market debut as a revolutionary new treatment for erectile dysfunction, concern was voiced about the drug’s suitability for use among men with heart conditions. Only a few years later, a Mayo Clinic research study found that sildenafil citrate, the active ingredient in Viagra, is unlikely to harm heart patients who have been told by their cardiologists that they are strong enough to participate in sexual activity.
Some exceptions remain, however. Men whose cardiac problems include angina, a painful chest pain caused by insufficient blood flow to the heart, usually take some sort of nitrate-based drug to relieve that pain. For such men, Viagra remains a no-no. Both sildenafil citrate and the nitrates lower central blood pressure to accomplish their goals. Taking the two together could cause a potentially life-threatening drop in blood pressure.
Findings of Mayo Clinic Study
In the Mayo Clinic study, researchers examined the effects of sildenafil on 105 male patients with coronary artery disease, also known as heart disease. The study participants were randomly divided into two groups of roughly similar size. Those in the first group were given Viagra about an hour before they began moderately rigorous exercise tests. Those in the second group got placebo.
Subsequently, researchers flipped the script and gave the first group placebo while the second group got Viagra. The results were clear. Viagra did not in any way compromise the men’s ability to exercise or put any potentially dangerous added burden on cardiac function.
Thus it seems that men who are not taking nitrate-based drugs such as nitroglycerin tablets can safely use Viagra if their doctors have cleared them for sexual activity. It cannot be overemphasized, however, that men with heart conditions must get their doctor’s approval to resume sexual activity, particularly after a recent heart attack.
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